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Plenty of golf fans would argue the rise of LIV Golf has had a detrimental impact on the sport as a whole since the upstart league set out to take on the PGA Tour last year.
However, I feel like most of its biggest detractors have to admit they at least appreciate the virtually unprecedented amount of drama the burgeoning feud has injected into what has historically been viewed as a Gentleman’s Game.
LIV’s rise has been greeted by some fierce backlash from golfers who’ve remained loyal to the PGA Tour—especially Rory McIlroy, who has exerted a ton of time and energy to pushing back against the organization (and CEO Greg Norman) to a point where he recently implied it’s had an impact on his performance on the links.
The league has also been roundly dragged by a number of legendary players who arguably have no real skin in the game.
That includes Nick Faldo, who called the existence of a venture he dubbed “meaningless” into question during an interview last year.
Fred Couples has also not exercised much self-restraint while sharing his thoughts on LIV and golden boy Phil Mickelson, and it’s safe to say his feelings have not changed much since he tore into both parties last summer.
According to The Orange County Register, Couples got the opportunity to once again use the league as a punching bag when he addressed the crowd that had gathered for a PGA Tour Champions breakfast ahead of the Hoag Classic earlier this week.
Couples echoed the sentiment of plenty of golf fans when he suggested his biggest issue with LIV is the golfers who’ve gone to war with the PGA Tour after defecting, saying:
“Just go to the LIV Tour, but stop blasting something I’ve been a part of for 42 years. That’s my problem them. They’re all bashing the PGA Tour, and that affects me a little bit.”
Mickelson was also the target of Couples’ ire, as the outlet reports he repeatedly referred to Lefty as a “nutbag” while poking fun at the amount of money LIV threw at an aging golfer whose best days are solidly behind him:
“If you’re giving Phil Mickelson $200 million at age 52 to shoot 74 and 75, God bless you.”
Boom roasted.